An eye-catching jigsaw puzzle can entertain your child for glorious minutes or even hours, as they try to find the pieces that fit together. Puzzles are a great way to help encourage problem solving and cognitive skills, whether they are completed alone, or together as a fun family activity.
If you've already looked into buying puzzles for your kids, you'll know there's a lot of choice online. Whether you're after a jigsaw with large pieces suitable for a 2 year old or 3 year old toddler, a 3-D puzzle for avid model makers, or one with 1000 pieces to keep kids occupied for hours, our buying guide is here to help you find the right one. With designs from Disney, Harry Potter and the Gruffalo, we've ranked the top 10 best puzzles in the UK for children on Amazon, Argos and John Lewis.
For those after a quick look, here is our Top 5:
For a more in-depth look at the comprehensive top 10 selection, make sure to read on to learn more about the different types of puzzles for kids available and understand how our ranking was determined.
This article’s chosen EC site price listings are reflective of its publishing date.
Image | 1 ![]() Ravensburger | 2 ![]() Ravensburger | 3 ![]() Ravensburger | 4 ![]() Mudpuppy | 5 ![]() Orchard Toys | 6 ![]() Melissa & Doug | 7 University Games | 8 ![]() Educa | 9 ![]() Clementoni | 10 ![]() Ravensburger |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | 3D Puzzle Disney Frozen 2 | The Gruffalo 4 Large Shaped Puzzles | Big Ben 3D Jigsaw Puzzle | Cool Cats A-Z Jigsaw Puzzle | Big Red Bus Floor Jigsaw | Solar System Floor Puzzle | Harry Potter Wizarding World Hogwarts Express 3D Jigsaw Puzzle | Disney Super Puzzle | Emoji Impossible Puzzle | Disney Castle 3D Jigsaw Puzzle |
Features | A Beautifully Crafted Disney Design | Four Gruffalo Puzzles for the Price of One | A Rewarding Landmark Build for Kids Aged 10 and Up | An Alphabet of Cute Cats for Tweens | A Great Way to Keep Your Toddler Entertained | Perfect for Younger Kids Who Love All Things Space | A Magical Collector's Item for Harry Potter Enthusiasts | A Disney Scene Ideal for Kids of All Ages | A Difficult Challenge for Teens | Let Your Child Live Out Their Disney Dreams |
Price | £10.00 | £9.00 | £15.00 | £12.67 | £7.87 | £7.99 | £20.86 | £11.47 | £10.55 | £44.99 |
Design | Disney Frozen | Gruffalo | Big Ben | Cats | Bus | Space | Harry Potter | Disney Characters | Emojis | Disney |
Number of Pieces | 72 | 10, 12, 14, 16 | 216 | 1000 | 15 | 48 | 180 | 100 | 1000 | 216 |
Age Recommendation | 6 + | 3 + | 10 + | 12 + | 3 + | 4 + | 8 + | 6 + | 14 + | 10 + |
Puzzle Type | 3D | Flat | 3D | Flat | Flat | Flat | 3D | Flat | Flat | 3D |
Completed Size | 13 x 13 cm | 35 x 25 cm approx. each | 17.5 x 41 cm | 46 x 30 cm | 59 x 42 cm | 90 x 60 cm | 75 x 17 x 14.5 cm | 36 x 26 cm | 69 x 50 cm | 45 x 27 x 49 cm |
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Puzzles come in a variety of designs, including familiar scenes, landmarks, animals and favourite movie characters. This wide selection can leave you feeling spoilt for choice, so think - What are their top films or fictional characters? Do they have a favourite animal, a double-decker bus obsession or do they have dreams of becoming an astronaut?
Use your insider-knowledge to pick the perfect puzzle. If you are spot-on with your choice, it may end up being proudly displayed on the wall in lieu of a poster - providing even more enjoyment. A bonus tip; remember that puzzles depicting movie characters may even become collectors' items in the future!
If you have a Hogwarts-expert in the family to buy for, then check out our best gifts for Harry Potter fans.
Puzzles can range anywhere from 2 pieces to 1000+ pieces. Puzzles with over 200 pieces are great for older children, or those who can happily spend time focusing on a task. Do you have a child who gets easily distracted? If so, then you're going to want to choose a puzzle with fewer pieces, that takes less time to solve. Remember, puzzles with more pieces have smaller parts, so they're not going suitable for very young children.
Most puzzles will note the minimum age a child can use the jigsaw from. This will give you an idea of the skill level your child needs to be at to complete the jigsaw. However, it's just a recommendation because as we well know, children have different capabilities, and you'll likely already have a good idea of what your child can manage.
There tends not to be an upper age limit, as once you meet the age requirements for a puzzle, a lot of it comes down to preference. A child who has a particular interest in a movie will be happy completing a jigsaw puzzle with their favourite character(s) on, whether it's intended for 6 + or 14 +, so if the theme suits your child, don't be put off if your child is older than the age recommendation.
A soft toy is always a winning gift too - these are the top teddy bears we've selected.
3D puzzles have become increasingly popular in recent years. These are great as, once completed, they create a model that your child can display in their bedroom. Go for this option if your child likes construction activities, or if you know they're only going to want to use the puzzle once, as they're tricky to take apart again. You can even glue the puzzle pieces in place, if your child does want to display it.
The traditional flat puzzle is better for kids who are new to puzzle solving, or those who want the fun of completing the jigsaw multiple times. The joy of a flat jigsaw puzzle is that you can do it as many times as you want to - repetitive jigsaw puzzling is a memory workout, plus it provides feelings of security and achievement, as each time they will reach completion more swiftly.
Need more quiet-yet-mind-expanding activities? Here's our pick of the top feminist books for children.
This ranking has been compiled by the writing team at mybest UK via careful evaluation of the points made in the buying guide and thorough research of each product and comparing multiple verified customer reviews across the EC sites used.
£10.00
Design | Disney Frozen |
---|---|
Number of Pieces | 72 |
Age Recommendation | 6 + |
Puzzle Type | 3D |
Completed Size | 13 x 13 cm |
£9.00
Design | Gruffalo |
---|---|
Number of Pieces | 10, 12, 14, 16 |
Age Recommendation | 3 + |
Puzzle Type | Flat |
Completed Size | 35 x 25 cm approx. each |
£15.00
Design | Big Ben |
---|---|
Number of Pieces | 216 |
Age Recommendation | 10 + |
Puzzle Type | 3D |
Completed Size | 17.5 x 41 cm |
£12.67
Design | Cats |
---|---|
Number of Pieces | 1000 |
Age Recommendation | 12 + |
Puzzle Type | Flat |
Completed Size | 46 x 30 cm |
£7.87
Design | Bus |
---|---|
Number of Pieces | 15 |
Age Recommendation | 3 + |
Puzzle Type | Flat |
Completed Size | 59 x 42 cm |
£7.99
Design | Space |
---|---|
Number of Pieces | 48 |
Age Recommendation | 4 + |
Puzzle Type | Flat |
Completed Size | 90 x 60 cm |
£20.86
Design | Harry Potter |
---|---|
Number of Pieces | 180 |
Age Recommendation | 8 + |
Puzzle Type | 3D |
Completed Size | 75 x 17 x 14.5 cm |
£11.47
Design | Disney Characters |
---|---|
Number of Pieces | 100 |
Age Recommendation | 6 + |
Puzzle Type | Flat |
Completed Size | 36 x 26 cm |
£10.55
Design | Emojis |
---|---|
Number of Pieces | 1000 |
Age Recommendation | 14 + |
Puzzle Type | Flat |
Completed Size | 69 x 50 cm |
£44.99
Design | Disney |
---|---|
Number of Pieces | 216 |
Age Recommendation | 10 + |
Puzzle Type | 3D |
Completed Size | 45 x 27 x 49 cm |
Written and researched by Rosa Fairfield
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